EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -As the universe continued to expand and cool, things began to happen more slowly. It took 380, 000 years for electrons to be trapped in orbits around nuclei, forming the first atoms. These were mainly helium and hydrogen, which are still by far the most abundant elements in the universe.

Detailed explanation-2: -According to the big bang theory, all the matter in the universe erupted from a singularity.

Detailed explanation-3: -The first long-lived matter particles of any kind were protons and neutrons, which together make up the atomic nucleus. These came into existence around one ten-thousandth of a second after the Big Bang.

Detailed explanation-4: -The primordial gas clouds were found to contain only the lightest elements-hydrogen and helium-that were created in the Big Bang. A few hundred million years later, clumps of these gas clouds condensed to form the first stars, which created and dispersed heavier elements throughout the universe.

Detailed explanation-5: -During the formation of the universe some 14 billion years ago in the so-called ‘Big Bang’, only the lightest elements were formed – hydrogen and helium along with trace amounts of lithium and beryllium.